The present invention relates to a device for breaking a horse from a harmful habit, such as cribbing.
Cribbing and wind sucking are some of the dangerous and harmful habits in horses. Cribbing occurs when the horse grabs a stationary object, such as a stall wall, fence and the like, arches his neck and then pulls backwards. This behavior is usually accompanied with the horse gulping air, which is often referred to as wind sucking or aerophagia. The horse grips the stationary object with the front teeth, eventually wearing down the teeth. If not fixed and corrected, the habit can result in premature wearing down of the teeth, which will prevent the horse from normal eating, potential weight loss, and associated loss of condition.
Wind sucking results with the horse gulping air, which flows into the digestive tract and may cause colic. Because of the dangers associated with cribbing and wind sucking, some insurance companies refuse to insure horses known for this harmful habit.
Various methods have been proposed to solve the problem in an attempt to catch it early, before it becomes an established habit. One of the current solutions is to use the so-called “cribbing collar” which is made of different materials. The cribbing collar is placed on the horse's throat and then the collar is pulled snug and buckled. The pressure is applied on the muscles of the neck when horse opens its mouth too wide; the collar is designed to prevent the horse from gulping the air into the digestive track. The collar solution is moderately successful as long as the collar is in place. The collar becomes a nuisance to the handler/owner because it must be taken on and off every time the horse is ridden or is directed to perform in any way. Additionally, the strap can pose a danger to the horse if it is caught on any object as it may cause strangulation or panic in the animal. For these reasons, the use of the cribbing collar is not recommended for pasture use. Therefore, anytime the horse is not wearing the cribbing collar, it will continue to crib on fences, stalls, trees, and the like. Furthermore, the collar may cause scarring and disfigurement to the horse's throat and poll after a prolonged use.
Another known solution is to use a muzzle, which is placed over the horse's face and prevents the horse from touching the object. The muzzle must also be removed for eating, performing, pasture time, and the like. Similar to the collar, the muzzle works only when it is worn. The straps of the muzzle may cause scarring and disfigurement to the horse's throat and poll area after prolonged use.
A drastic solution is offered by a surgery, which is performed under general anesthesia and involves removing a portion of the omohyoideous, sternohyoideous, and the sternothyroideus muscles. In addition, a portion of the ventral branch of the spinal accessory nerve is removed, which denervates the sternocephalicus muscle. This type of surgery is fairly common and nationally recognized as an anti-cribbing procedure. While there are no published side effects associated with this procedure, there are dangers associated with any surgery, such as anesthetic complications and the chance for infection. The surgery procedure is more successful in horses that have been cribbing a relatively short period of time or in horses who do not crib constantly.
The present invention contemplates elimination of drawbacks associates with the conventional methods and provision of an anti-cribbing device that is simple to use and free of side effects, which are often the result of conventional anti-cribbing methods.